Communities and neighbourhoods

Fire minister boosts diversity with national graduate programme

Published	2 April 2008

Fire Minister Parmjit Dhanda has announced £3million to drive forward increased diversity in the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) including new plans for a national graduate entry scheme.

Diversity in the service is a major issue especially among its leaders and slow progress has limited its ability to spread fire safety messages to all communities. Currently, there is only one female chief fire officer, and none from minority ethnic communities. Latest Fire and Rescue statistics show minority ethnic staff formed just over 3 per cent of all staff; women also formed just over 3 per cent of operational staff. This compares to the police where 5 per cent are from minority ethnic groups and 22 per cent are women. In the prison service 5.7 per cent of staff are from minority ethnic groups and 21.9 per cent are women.

The lack of diversity within the FRS was recently criticised by the Audit Commission that found that whilst awareness of equality and diversity is improving in all fire and rescue services, the lack of a diverse workforce remains a major issue, because it significantly reduces the service's ability to reach and educate different communities about the risks from fire.

Fire Minister Parmjit Dhanda said:

"We need our fire and rescue service to be able to reach out to all the communities it serves to educate people about the risks from fire. The fire and rescue service has historically lagged behind other public services and more must be done to make it more representative. I am determined to drive forward radical change.

"This graduate scheme will step up our efforts to ensure the fire service connects with all our communities, particularly those most at risk and benefits from the most talented employees at all levels from new recruits to Chief Officers."

Only 12 per cent of respondents to a survey of the Fire and Rescue Service are graduates. The new graduate scheme will put in place a career path that will support efforts to increase the diversity of applicants, and strengthen leadership by attracting and developing the best talent into the service. Early estimates are that up to fifty graduates and employees each year could receive specialist training, mentoring and advice.

The scheme will be open to existing staff as well as graduates, and will put the service on par with other major public sector recruiters which already have graduate schemes, like the police and NHS. Other measures to increase diversity in the service will include information awareness campaigns in communities.

The graduate scheme has been developed in partnership with the Chief Fire Officers Association and the Local Government Association, and other representative bodies will be closely involved as the scheme progresses.

Notes to editors

England's 46 FRS employ about 30,800 full time operational staff.

The starting pay (as at 1 July 2007) for trainee firefighter is £20,396, rising to £27,185 when considered competent on completion of training.

In Summer 2006 the department sponsored an awareness training campaign aimed at young women aged 18 - 34 years to encourage them to consider firefighting as a career. Over 2,500 requests were received for information as a direct result of the advertising. London Fire Brigade reported that in previous recruitment drives they had been unable to improve on a 7 per cent application rate from women. In 2006 this rose to 17 per cent.

The Audit Commission's report Fire and Rescue Service Performance scores and analysis 2007 was published January 2008, www.audit-commission.gov.uk (external link).